Metal-casting apparatus.



No. 683,885. Patented Out. I, l90l.

S. W. VAUGHEN.

METAL-CASTING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shoot l.

WITNESSES,

Fq %ad I I No. 683,885. Patented Oct. I, MN.

I 8. W. VAUGHEN.

METAL CASTING APPARATUS. (Apphcation filed m, 2:; man (No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

YINVENTOR.

Jam-.4 M

v WITNESSES, 9:0. 6. 129a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

SAMUEL W. VAUGHEN, OF JoHNsTowN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICANoAs'rINe MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENN sYLvANrA.

METAL-CASTING APPARATUS.

SPEGIFICAZEIQN formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 683,885, dated October1, 1901.

Application filed March 28,1899. Serial No. 710,779. (No modelfl 7 Toall whom it may. concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL W, VAUGHEN,

. a citizen of the United States, residing at Johnstown, in the countyof Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Metal-Cast ing Apparatus; and I do hereby declarethe.

following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable otl1 ers skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

My invention relates to metal-casting machines, and more particularly tomeans for coating the molds with a suitable carbonaceous material,whereby a free delivery of the casts from the molds is assured.

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection withpig-iron-casting machines of that class in which the molds are supportedand moved on an endless'carrier, and for the sake of simplicity in thedescription to be given herein 1 will'refer to this application of myinvention hereinafter.

Heretofore pig metal has been produced in various forms of sand beds,stationary metallic chills, and more recently it has been formed intraveling molds mounted on an endless carrier. With the latter form moreor less trouble has been experienced by reason of the pigs adheringandsticking to the molds when solidified, and'va'rious attempts havebeen made to avoid this difficulty, but with unsatisfactory results.Devices for spraying the molds with water and mixtures of differentrefractory materials have been employed in various forms to insure thefree delivery of the pigs from the molds, and coatings of lime, clay, orsimilar refractory materials have been used for this purpose, and amechanical understood by those skilled in the art of making steel.Further than this,the use of washes made of lime, clay, or otherordinary refractory materials has the effect of materially shorteningthe life of the molds and is particularly severe in its action upon thebearing and wearing portions of an endless-carrier machine, as thesemineral refractories have the effect of abrading the working partsofabrading the working parts of the machine it acts as alubricator, thuspreventing friction and loss of power, and thereby preserves thework-ing surfaces from destruction. This carbonaceous coating is alsofree from the objections heretofore stated with respect to the use ofclay or lime on pigs which are'to be i used for steel making, as thecarbonaceous matter is comparatively neutral and has no effect upon thelining of the furnaces or onpolas, nor does it affect the slag which isformed in the melting or refining process. 1 7 It is the object of myinvention to provide means'for applying such coating of carbonaceousmaterial to pig-metal-casting molds, such means being so arranged thatit may be wholly or partially Withdrawn from the molds, if necessary.

Having given this general description of my invention, I .will now referto, the annexed two sheets of drawings, which form 1 part of thisspecification, and in which like letters refer to like parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pig-metalcasting plant on' theendless-carrier principle which is provided with means for coating themetallic molds thereof with a carbonaceous lining in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the main construction shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail elevation of a section of thetraveling molds and the front of one of the furnaces constituting mypreferred means for producing and applying the carbonaceous coating tothe molds. Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross-section through one ofsaid furnaces and molds, taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a planview of the furnace shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 6 is a further enlargedplan view of a section ofthe traveling molds shown in the precedingviews, into which is introduced and applied the carbonaceous substancethrown off from the furnaces aforesaid.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a preferred form ofpig-castin g plant, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art towhich it appertains that its use is notlimited to the constructionherein shown, and, in fact, need not be confined to pig-metal-castingmolds, but can be used in connection with molds of any kind to insurethe free delivery of their product, as previously referred to herein.

Referring now to the various letters of'reference, marked upon thedrawings, A is a portable reservoir or ladle from which the molten metalis delivered to one or more series of molds B, which, as previouslystated, are connected in an endless series by means of the links 0, thesaid molds being mounted on suitable wheels, which travel on tracks D,designed for this purpose.

E is an engine; F, the driving connection thereof by means of which theseries of molds are operated to and from the reservoir or ladle A in thedirections indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The molds travel towardthe receptacle or ladle A below the tank and main structure, beingmeanwhile in an inverted position and empty, after which they return tothe upper side around the idler-pulley G, thence passing under thedeliverytrough H, from which they are supplied with molten metal, whichis poured into the deliverytrough from the ladle A, before men tioned.The continuous travel of the conveyer submerges the filled molds intothe water-tank I for the purpose of solidifying the pigs, after whichthey issue from this trough and are carried to the extremeend of theconveyer, where they are discharged into a car or other convenientreceptacle. As the molds are returning to be filled they are in aninverted position-that is, with their tops opening downward-and since itis preferable to apply the carbonaceous material just prior to theintroduction of the molten metal I locate my furnaces J immediatelybeneath the returning molds and near the receiving end of the conveyer.In practice I prefer to use four of these furnaces, as shown in Fig. 2,but more or less maybe used as desired. Said furnaces are constructedand designed to consume soft coal, which will give offa large amount ofsoot of the kind and quality with Which to coat the molds; but Isometimes use an ordinary soft-coal or coke fire, to which coal-tar orpitch may be fed, which will produce a similar result. The furnaces areconstructed of steel and brick and are provided with the usualfiring-door K, firebox L, and ash-pit M, and the'furnaces are locatedimmediately under the molds and provided with an open top, thusproducing an unobstructed passage for the products of combustion fromthe fireplace to the under surface of the molds. The furnaces arefurther provided with suitable wheels N and are mounted on tracks 0,which construction allows the furnaces to be withdrawn from beneath themolds when the same are not receiving metal or when they may be standingidle. At either side of the open top of said furnaces I provide suitabledeflectors P, which are conveniently attached to the rails of. the trackD, which serve to guide the products of combustion to the under surfaceof the molds, where they Will form the desired deposit. (See Fig. 4:.)

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In metal-casting apparatus the combination with an endless connectedseries of traveling molds, means for filling said molds, and means forsubjecting the molds and their contents to water for cooling suchcontents, of a furnace located beneath said molds in their return pathto the receiving end of the apparatus, in position to discharge smokeinto said molds, said furnace being movable to permit its withdrawalfrom beneath the molds when desired.

' 2. In metal-casting apparatus the combination with an endlessconnected series of traveling molds, means for filling said molds,

and means for subjecting the molds and their contents to water forcooling such contents,

of tracks located beneath said molds in their return path to thereceiving end of the apparat-us, and a furnace on said tracks inposition to discharge smoke into said molds, said furnace being movableto permit its withdrawal from beneath the molds when desired.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

SAMUEL W. VAUGHEN.

\Vitnesses:

FRANK M. BUCHANAN, vB. J. PIOKING.

